Updates Archives

States of Women’s Incarceration: The Global Context 2025
The United States still incarcerates 614 people for every 100,000 residents, more than almost any other country in the world. Women in particular are incarcerated in

A Prison is a Prison is a Prison
This essay reflects on the brutal realities of incarceration, particularly for Indigenous women in Australia. It begins with the tragic death of Selesa Tafaifa, who

Why Australia needs a strategy to keep women out of prison
Advocates, ministers and lawyers gathered in Sydney this week to back reforms that keep women out of prison and families together. At Parliament House this

China: Courts used as tools of systematic repression against human rights defenders
Chinese courts are systematically weaponizing vague national security and public order laws to silence human rights defenders, Amnesty International said today in a new report exposing the

Trapped by Design: How Court Debt Devastates Lives
There’s a hidden side to our justice system — one that punishes people not for what they did, but for what they don’t have. Across

SLAPPs: A threat to freedom of expression and press freedom in Eswatini
Joint Statement by the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) and the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA). Press freedom in Southern Africa is increasingly under threat,

A revolutionary way to end the incarceration of girls
A new criminal justice wave has formed in Hawaii and California. Where will it go next? Ending prison for teens might seem like a pipe

Could community policing in the Caribbean build trust to prevent violence?
In many Caribbean communities, rising violence has eroded public trust in law enforcement. Imagine a police officer in Trinidad and Tobago who walks the bustling

National Homelessness Law Center Condemns Violence and Violent Rhetoric Targeting Homeless People
National Homelessness Law Center: Everybody needs a safe place to live. But instead of lowering rents and fixing our broken housing system, politicians are setting

Amici Curiae Applicants to Seek Consent to Intervene in Landmark Constitutional Challenge on the Decriminalisation of Sex Work
On 1–2 September 2025, the African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum (APCOF), the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria (CHR), and the Dullah Omar Institute (DOI)

Open Grants Call: Commonwealth Foundation Annual Grants Offering up to £60,000 for Civil Society Action.
The Commonwealth Foundation is offering grants for civil society organisations working on health justice, climate justice, and freedom of expression. With funding up to £60,000

Chicago artists, Miami Law students bridge art and advocacy.
The prints have travelled from Art Basel Miami to the World Urban Forum in Cairo. This proves that when those most affected drive the conversation, the impact reaches far beyond galleries to influence policymakers.

Court Users Committee undertake training on mental health
Campaign partner, Coalition Action for Preventative Mental Health in Kenya (CAPMHK) recently conducted a training workshop with the Court Users Committee at Makadara Law Court,

“I will not go to sleep”: New Women Beyond Walls episode features Pamela Winn on surviving prison while pregnant
Following her release, Winn founded Restore Her USA, an organisation supporting women of colour impacted by the criminal legal system.

UN experts raise concerns over US budget cuts and human rights.
Partners for Dignity & Rights: On June 3, 2025, several advocates working on housing, homeless/houseless and poverty issues in the United States met with civil

Global prison reform still lags as Mandela Rules mark 10th anniversary.
The anniversary of the Mandela Rules is a reminder that global standards exist, but without political will and practical implementation, rights remain on paper.

Reforming the Revenue Machine: An Advocate’s Guide to Court Fines and Fees
National trends are clear: fines and fees are being used as revenue tools, not instruments of justice. FFJC’s latest blog series, Reforming the Revenue Machine: An

Africa Launch: Practitioners’ guide on a human rights-based approach to criminal law with a focus on the decriminalisation of poverty and status.
The Practitioners’ Guide on a Human Rights-Based Approach to Criminal Law offers concrete tools for reforming unjust laws that disproportionately target marginalised communities.

The Empire Strikes Back—Colonial Sedition Laws in the Hands of Modern Authorities | Opinion
OSF: Last June, Malaysian authorities burned the homes and boats of members of the Bajau Laut, an indigenous community in Malaysian Borneo whose livelihoods are inextricably linked

Sonia Dahmani: A Tunisian lawyer’s fight for dignity.
Five women share a 20-square-metre cell crawling with rats and lizards. Sonia has lost more than 20 kilos on the meagre prison diet.

UN Crime Congress invites NGOs to apply for accreditation
The Congress Secretariat is pleased to inform you that the Fifteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (UN Crime Congress) will be held in Abu

What happens when your mum goes to prison?
The statistics alone are staggering, but it’s the human stories that will change how you think about justice.

Ireland: How poverty and trauma fuel women’s imprisonment.
In overcrowded prisons running at 163% capacity, women sleep on mattresses while dealing with untreated trauma from domestic violence, sexual abuse, and grief.

Research shows how criminal justice systems further punish victims of coercive control
The Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ) has published new research revealing how the criminal justice system too often “does the perpetrator’s job for him”; thus

India: Systemic discrimination revealed as 71.7% of arrests in Guna District target marginalised communities
Multiple custodial killings in Guna District, Central India, have become disturbingly normalised, prompting the Criminal Justice and Police Accountability Project (CPA Project) to investigate local

Justice or Punishment? ‘Women Beyond Walls’ second episode spotlights poverty and incarceration.
With nearly one million women imprisoned worldwide, and numbers rising at a faster rate than men’s, the discussion highlights how minor offences and systemic inequalities are leading to disproportionate punishment.

Press freedom in Africa an illusion, despite constitutional promises
SALC: As outlined in international human rights treaties and the constitutions of most African countries, freedom of expression is a fundamental right. The International Covenant

Reimagining Justice: ‘Women Beyond Walls’ returns with voices from inside and beyond prison walls
LONDON, 29 July 2025 – Women Beyond Walls, the podcast exploring the human stories behind women’s incarceration, today launches its second season with the powerful

Criminal defamation declared unconstitutional in Malawi
The Global Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status releases short explainer video about the recent case in Malawi that declared criminal defamation as unconsitutional. The

Malawi High Court declares criminal defamation unconstitutional
SALC: On 16 July 2025, the High Court of Malawi delivered a landmark judgment in a Constitutional case, declaring Section 200 of the Penal Code,

South Asia Convening addresses Decriminalization of Poverty and Status
A two-day convening on “Decriminalizing Poverty and Status” took place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on January 24-25, bringing together diverse voices from across South Asia

Constitutional Challenge to incarceration based on disability in Mexico
Documenta: On March 28, 2023, Documenta filed an Amparo lawsuit challenging the conventionality of a provision in the Mexico City Penal Code that allows for

Kenya declares attempted suicide unconstitutional
Campaign members supported recent efforts to decriminalise attempted suicide in Kenya. Watch the short explainer video about this ruling:

Equal Access to Justice for All: A Fundamental Human Right
Jennifer Smith, ILF: Over the past year, the ILF has been working with the Campaign to Decriminalize Poverty and Status, civil society organizations, and independent

Campaign partner present policy paper at First African Regional Conference on Law Enforcement and Public Health
In December of 2024, APCOF, Freedoms Collective Trust and the Caribbean Centre for Human Rights presented a paper titled “Decriminalising public space governance: the role

Decriminalization of attempted suicide: A watershed moment in Kenya
ICJ-Kenya: Nairobi, KENYA – This past week, High Court Judge, Justice Lawrence Mugambi declared Section 226 of the Penal Code, which criminalizes attempted Suicide unconstitutional.

The legacy of the British legal system continues to inflict misery in Sierra Leone
Mara Kardas-Nelson writes for The Nation: Decades after independence, colonial-era laws have created a mass-incarceration crisis in Sierra Leone as poor citizens are thrown into

Press Release: Amicus Brief Filed In Iowa Supreme Court Low-Income Legal Fees Case
FFJC: Des Moines, Iowa — Last week, the Iowa Supreme Court allowed the ACLU of Iowa, the Fines and Fees Justice Center, and Public Justice to

Malawi High Court to consider challenge of criminal defamation
SALC: Lilongwe, Malawi – On 17 December 20204, the Malawi High Court will consider a challenge to the offence of criminal defamation under section 200 of

Hardknock life for sex workers
SALC: Despite operating in a country where prostitution is not a crime, Malawian sex workers continue to face rampant abuse and exploitation. What is a

Proposition 36: A step backward for justice in California
Stricter Penalties for Theft and Drug Offenses Target Vulnerable Populations, Worsening Homelessness and Addiction Invisible People: Last September, Donald Trump promised that, if reelected, “We will

Sub-national governance and the plight of women working in public spaces
Across the world and in Africa, women make up the majority of workers in the informal economy – mostly because of limited education, high levels

Who benefits from prison?
Prison Insider: On Saturday 29 June 2024, Prison Insider hosted a workshop on the human and social cost of prison in Haiti, Tunisia, Morocco, and

ECOWAS Court declares Sierra Leone’s loitering laws discriminatory and orders repeal
AdvocAid: Freetown, 7 November 2024: In a landmark judgment, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice has ruled in favour

Understanding the link between gender identity and homelessness
Invisible People: Why transgender individuals face higher risks of homelessness and how discrimination contributes to the growing crisis A growing number of gender nonconforming and

Launch of Practitioners’ Guide on the Decriminalisation of Poverty and Status
ICwS: The Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS) and its partners, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the Commonwealth Secretariat launched a new Practitioner’s Guide on the decriminalisation of poverty

A human rights-based approach to criminal law: Asia and Caribbean regional consultation
ICwS: On 9 and 10 September 2024, the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS) and its partners, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the Commonwealth Secretariat (ComSec), held

Africa Litigation Surgery: Pushing Back Against Authoritarian Regimes
ICJ-Kenya: NAIROBI, Kenya – The Africa Litigation Surgery Conference kicked off in earnest with delegates from across the continent converging in Kenya’s capital Nairobi. Under

Bangladesh: End punitive mass arrests and arbitrary detention of student leaders and protesters
Amnesty International: Responding to reports of the arrest and detention of student leaders, protest participants and members of opposition parties following the quota-reform protests, with

Malawi High Court upholds protection of undocumented immigrants from arbitrary and indefinite detention
SALC: 30 July 2024, Blantyre – Yesterday, the Mzuzu High Court ordered that 30 days should be the reasonable time envisaged under the Immigration Act within which deportation

UN states: Decriminalization of LGBTQ+ people saves lives
Joint Statement by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima As courts and parliaments in a number of countries are

US: Ninth Circuit Lifts Injunction: San Francisco Resumes Homeless Sweeps
Invisible People: San Francisco officials can begin conducting homeless sweeps again after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals partially withdrew a preliminary injunction against the city

Malawi: Migrant children should be protected from detention
SALC & CHREAA: Although the Constitution of Malawi provides for the protection of all children including migrant children, the continuous detention of these migrant minors

Poverty a criminal offence in Malawi
SALC & CHREAA: Despite being a constitutional democracy, local authorities in Malawi continue to perpetuate the colonial legacy by criminalising poverty and inequality through the

National Homelessness Law Center Condemns Supreme Court Decision, Demands Real Solutions to Homelessness
NHLC: In a profoundly disappointing ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court today decided that the US Constitution does not protect homeless people against cruel and unusual

UN Experts: Governments must urgently scrap unfair laws criminalising homelessness and poverty
GENEVA (25 June 2024) – UN human rights experts have called on governments to scrap “cruel and counterproductive” laws that are leading to people living in homelessness

Ambiguous Laws and Freedom of Expression in Africa
SALC: Freedom of expression, a fundamental right crucial for open dialogue, critical thinking, and societal progress, is under threat in Africa due to outdated and

The truth behind Parliamentarians Enacting Conservative laws
SALC: In the last year, we have seen Parliaments in Africa enact laws that contradict court rulings in Namibia and Kenya. In Uganda, and Ghana, new laws go as far

A human rights-based approach to criminal law: Africa regional consultation
ICwS & ICJ: On 5 and 6 June 2024, the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS) and its partners, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the Commonwealth

Campaign co-hosts UN CCPCJ side event on fines and fees
ILF: Around the world, criminal justice systems disproportionately penalize people who are poor, including through fines and fees. On May 15, 2024 on the sidelines

To comply or not to comply is not the question
SALC: Over the past five years, the highest courts in Namibia and Botswana have made significant decisions in favour of minority groups’ human rights through

Moldova: New definition of high treason passed by parliament threatens freedom of expression
Amnesty International: Reacting to news that Moldova’s parliament has passed amendments to the country’s Criminal Code which redefine “high treason,” Veaceslav Tofan, Executive Director of

Alternative justice system solution to backlog of cases
ICJ-Kenya: Nakuru, Kenya – Since time immemorial, Kenya’s culturally rich communities proudly championed and practiced their own forms of justice that was tethered in basic

Malawi: Parliament urged to revamp outdated Penal Code
Peter Dimba, chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee in Parliament, has called for a thorough revision of the Penal Code, citing its numerous inconsistencies with

Parliament ‘sits on’ rogue, vagabond court order
SALC: Some lawmakers have lamented [Malawian] Parliament’s delays to facilitate the review of Section 184 of the Penal Code, which provides for the offence of

Incarceration Nations Network hosts 2nd edition of the Global Freedom Fellowship in South Africa
INN: In March 2024, the 2nd Annual Global Freedom Fellowship, organized by Incarceration Nations Network, brought together 16 formerly incarcerated fellows from 13 countries for

Sierra Leone’s Loitering Laws challenged at ECOWAS Court
Two years after it was filed at the regional court, a case challenging Sierra Leone’s laws on loitering has had its first day before judges

Morocco: investigating suicide and self-harm
Prison Insider: Research findings and prevention work in collaboration with the prison administration Suicide and self-harm are major concerns in prisons around the world, with

Judicial Interference: A Test of Principles, Integrity and Power
SALC: In the centre of Southern Africa, we find one of the region’s most stable nations – Botswana. Having dominated the top spot in Africa

For daring to call for reform of the monarchy, Thai protesters face over a decade in prison
Parit Chiwarak, Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, and Arnon Nampa dared to call for reform of the Thai monarchy at a 2020 protest. They were arrested, charged, put

Advocate driving decriminalisation of petty offences campaign
Kenya: Majority of remandees are held for minor crimes ranging from being idle, disorderly, littering, begging, urinating in public, and hawking. This is the reason

East and Southern Africa: Journalists targeted amid ongoing crackdown on media
Amnesty International: Authorities across East and Southern Africa continued to impose severe restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and media freedom over the

Illegal to Sleep: Grants Pass’ Cruel War on Homelessness
Invisible People: In this compelling documentary, Invisible People traveled to Grants Pass, Oregon, a picturesque city of about 40,000 residents, which is now at the

Thailand: Drop groundless charges against youth activists
Amnesty International: Two young Thai activists were today indicted on ‘groundless’ royal defamation and computer crime charges, Amnesty International has said. Niraphorn “Bie” Onnkhaow, an

Campaign submits statement at 79th ACHPR session
In April 2024, the Dullah Omar Institute submitted a written statement on behalf of the Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status in response to the

US Supreme Court hears homeless criminalization case
NHLC: This past Monday [April 22, 2024], the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Johnson v. Grants Pass, a case about whether communities can make it
Five takeaways from #CSW68 on the criminalisation of women linked to poverty
One week after International Women’s Day, a coalition of organisations and experts convened to address the rising trend of women’s criminalisation driven by poverty in

Campaign members call for implementation of Luanda Guidelines
April 25 is Africa Pretrial Detention Day, aimed at drawing attention to the excessive use of pretrial detention and the need for urgent reform across

Uganda: Court fails to repeal callous anti-LGBTI law, puts people at risk
Amnesty International: Responding to a decision by Uganda’s Constitutional Court to only revoke parts of the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 (AHA), a law which prompted rising

De-securitizing and decriminalising migration and poverty
Advocating for a non-discriminatory approach in European policies ASF, Prison Insider, FEANTSA and European Alternatives participated in a workshop to discuss how to advocate for
The Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status is a coalition of organisations from across the world that advocate for the repeal of laws that target people based on poverty, status or for their activism.
@DecrimPS
#DecrimPoverty | #DecrimStatus | #DecrimActivism
